Condition Issue: What is it?

[mintacular]

Hi folks, I have a valuable post-war card with a condition issue that I haven't run into, wondering what might have caused it. If you hold the card on its side, it does not have a natural "curl" or straight 180 lie to it but instead small wavy effect (again I am describing the surface bend---NOT edges, trimming, etc.)...

When you feel the cardboard between thumb and index the surface feels like different indentation areas, your fingers drop down, and then up etc as you run fingers across card...

The card does not appear to have any water damage issues i.e. the feel and look of card does not appear to have absorbed water....The card was housed under a hard plastic screw down with no sleeve (I learned a couple years ago this is a bad practice) so I'm wondering if that could've caused this? The reason I think this did not cause this effect is that there is no surface wear and the uneveness of the "wave" effect would make me to believe there is something else going on....

Assuming you can identify the issue, how would a TPG handle this issue? Thanks!

[vintagetoppsguy]

My guess is either water damage (even though you don't see it) or maybe the card was once in a soft plastic sleeve and it got heat damaged and the card conformed to the shape of the sleeve.

[GoldenAge50s]

In card terminology I believe that is called "waffling". A card w/ an up & down surface has "waffled".

[mintacular]

Thanks so far, what causes waffling? How would you sell the card in terms of condition? VGEX, EX?

[GoldenAge50s]

Mainly dampness & then drying out--expansion & contraction. Has to do w/ the quality of paper used. Probably no more than VG/EX w/ mention of defect.

[D. Bergin]

Any dealer who has set up in an outdoor market in humid weather, probably has seen more then a few of his cards start to waffle.

[mintacular]

Sorry, Fred, I'm selling this baby on eBay as NM (Look! Must see! Grade it! Wow!) far away shot on wood-grain table, etc...Just kidding of course...Here is the card in question.

[GoldenAge50s]

If I were selling I would call the card EX PLUS (or whatever you deem it to be) and mention it has a slight wavy surface that doesn't affect the eye appeal (again, if that's the true case)

I think that covers the overall quality very well & still points out the surface defect.

[FUBAR]

the guys are correct, it is 100% caused by moisture and then drying

[mintacular]

Thanks everyone, it's a darn shame, this card is otherwise pretty nice--I am going to list it on BST and see what happens...